Japanese for English speakers Street · Lesson 0

Social roles

Use の (no) for social roles — 家族の一員 (a member of the family). Plus 友達 (tomodachi, friend), 〜君 (kun, less-formal honorific), and the tentative まあね.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    ピシさんの友達ですか？

    Pishi san no tomodachi desu ka?

    Are you Pishi's friend?

    Tip: <tomodachi> = friend <no> = particle that expresses the meaning of possession, like " 's" in English.

  2. Bolin Bolin

    まあね

    Mā ne

    Well...

    Tip: <mā> = interjection that expresses indecisiveness <ne> = Particle to place at the end of a sentence to convey the meaning of the English "question tag" (like: isn't it? / haven't you?)

  3. Lindo Lindo

    えっ？そうではありませんか？

    Eh? Sō dewa arimasen ka?

    Uhm, what do you mean?

    Tip: <sō> = this / in this way

  4. Bolin Bolin

    ピシ君は家族の一員です。

    Pishi kun wa kazoku no ichi in desu.

    Pishi is a member of my family

    Tip: <kun> = suffix to place after a name. Less formal than <san> <kazoku> = family <ichi in> = one member

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How does の express belonging?

の links the group/owner to the role/member: 家族の一員 = 'a member of the family', チームの一員 = 'a member of the team'.

What's the difference between さん and くん?

さん is general and polite (for adults). くん is less formal, typically for younger boys or close male peers.

What does まあね mean?

'Well, kinda' or 'sort of' — an indecisive interjection, often used when you don't want to give a clear yes or no.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

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